Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights
by Siriusly Amused
Summary: Scorpius, Rose and Al spent most of their teen years trying to break out of their parents' shadows. However, when mysterious murders start to occur, the three realize they have a little bit of their parents in them after all.
1. Stare

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter; JK Rowling does.

--

**Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights**_  
By Siriusly Amused_

--

_Prologue**  
Stare**_

The Great Hall looked almost exactly how his father had described it: four long house tables with one long head table at the front, a ceiling reflecting the night sky, floating candles and a plethora of ghosts drifting around as though they owned the place. One ghost in particular, the Creevey ghost by the looks of the transparent camera around his neck, floated very close to the gathered first years.

"There you are, Al!" the ghost said brightly. He raised his camera and took a picture, blinding those in the near vicinity with the flash.

Scorpius blinked as spots blurred his vision. He frowned moodily. '_Should have gone to Durmstrang.'_

"Er…thanks…um…Colin," the boy next to Scorpius said uncertainly. Scorpius turned his head and was startled slightly to find himself standing next to Albus Potter, the boy who lived with the rest of his family on the front page of nearly every _Daily Prophet_.

"You're welcome, Al," the Creevey ghost said, lowering his camera. "I'll be over by Gryffindor table with your brother and cousins to capture your big moment!" He raised his camera and shook it slightly for emphasis.

"Erm…yeah…right…my big moment…yeah."

Scorpius vaguely wondered if the Potter boy had a speech impediment. He debated this as he continued to stare at Al, unaware that a pair of brown eyes were locked upon him as well until he felt the burn of the gaze upon his face. He tore his eyes away from a blushing Al to look at the red-headed girl he had seen earlier at the train station. Rose Weasley, his father had said, not bothering to say more, trusting her name to be enough information.

"What's your problem, Malfoy?" the Weasley girl spat, tugging her cousin closer to her protectively.

His name preceeded him. He was afraid of that.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

In front of them, the Sorting Hat burst into a song about how disappointed it was that they were still sorting nineteen years after the Blood Wars and why couldn't they just throw it into the fire and let it die already. A snicker sounded on Scorpius' left; he sent a cautious glance over his shoulder to see Al Potter stifling his laughter with a hand. Rose Weasley nudged her cousin in his side to get him to shut up, and Al bit his lip obligingly, though he turned to Scorpius, his eyes filled with laughter and his smile amicable, as though he was trying to share his mirth. Unsure of what to do with this unexpected display of amicability, Scorpius offered a slight smile before returning his gaze to the front of the hall.

The Sorting was excruciating; everyone was being sorted into Ravenclaw, Gryffindor or Hufflepuff; the Slytherin table was barely half full and all the students sitting at it looked as though they weren't expecting many first years to join them. Seeing as Greg, Pansy, Blaise and Aunt Daphne had all sent their children to Durmstrang, Scorpius feared he'd be the only Slytherin in his year.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" the head of Gryffindor, Neville Longbottom, called out.

A quiet murmur rippled through the Great Hall and all eyes suddenly turned on him as he approached the stool. He felt dizzy as he hoisted himself up onto the wooden seat. A corner of Neville's mouth pulled into a sly grin as he lowered the cap onto Scorpius' head. Blackness covered his eyes.

'_Not Slytherin,' _he thought fervently. _'Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin.'_

'_You know, I grow very tired of hearing that,'_ the Sorting Hat droned in his ears. '_No one wants to be in Slytherin anymore; therefore, asking not to be placed there has no impact on my decision these days.'_

'_Ravenclaw! Ravenclaw! Put me in Ravenclaw!'_

'_Changing tactics, I see. How very __**cunning**__ of you, Mr. Malfoy!'_

'_Damnit, you tatty piece of cloth! I have half a mind to jump off this stool and throw you into the fire!'_

'_Please do.'_

Silence prevailed for a few agonizing moments.

'_Well you're obviously not a Gryffindor,' _the Sorting Hat commented dryly once it became obvious that Scorpius was not going to throw it into the fire. _'Although…you are braver than any other Malfoy I've seen, I'll give you that. And you do have traits from all the houses. You would do well in Ravenclaw.'_ The Hat paused, causing hope to swell in Scorpius' chest. _'But I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy; you are most definitely a…'_

"SLYTHERIN!"

There was a muted applause from the Slytherin table as Scorpius angrily shoved the hat into Neville's hands and stalked to join his housemates, accepting his fate and yet cursing the hat under his breath. He continued to sulk, throwing particularly jealous glances at anyone who was sorted into Ravenclaw, as the sorting went on. And then…

"Potter, Albus!"

A hush quickly fell over the Great Hall, then was followed by the same murmur of whispers that had accompanied Scorpius on his ascent to the greatly disappointing hat. Scorpius tuned them all out, feeling quite certain that Albus Severus Potter would soon join his family members at the Gryffindor table.

But the seconds ticked on and Albus remained on the stool, his mouth forming a grimace as though he were arguing with the voice in his head. The room grew more and more quiet until…

"SLYTHERIN!"

Shock filled the room so thickly that even the ghosts couldn't move through it. No one applauded—no one even breathed—as Al Potter slowly walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down across from Scorpius.

"Did you try the 'Not Slytherin' thing too?" Scorpius asked casually, propping his head on his hand and glancing curiously at Albus, well aware that the entire hall was listening.

Albus slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah," Scorpius snorted derisively. "It doesn't work."

Al closed his mouth, looking pale and sickly. "My dad's going to kill me," he breathed.

"I highly doubt that," Scorpius assured him.

The sorting continued around them, though many of the older students were still talking in loud voices about Al's surprise sorting.

Al's large, green eyes rounded on Scorpius pleadingly. "If my dad disowns me, can I come live with you?"

Scorpius was taken aback by the question. Surely Al knew who he was and the relationship their fathers had back when they were in school? And what about his cousins? If Harry Potter actually kicked his son out of the family, wouldn't the Weasleys or someone take him in? Or did they all act together like some brainwashed pack? Scorpius was about to tell the Potter boy that he doubted their families would approve of them being friends, but then he thought of the very reason why his father was sending him to Hogwarts instead of Durmstrang with the other Slytherin progenies: It was time for the Malfoys to make a new name for themselves.

He looked at Al's wide, hopeful eyes and smiled.

"Of course you can," he said. "I'm Scorpius by the way." He held out his hand. "Scorpius Malfoy."

A grin surfaced on the Potter boy's face as he reached out and shook Scorpius' hand. "Al Potter."

It was at that moment that Scorpius felt the burn of someone's gaze upon him again. His eyes shot over to the group of first years who had yet to be sorted, and he met Rose Weasley's stare, taking it in like a punch to the gut. He hitched in his breath and felt beads of sweat form on his palms. Noticing his predicament, Al turned to glance over his shoulder at the remaining first years.

"Oh, that's my cousin, Rose," he explained, though Scorpius didn't need the explanation. "Bloody hell she looks pissed off." Al turned back to grace Scorpius with a smirk. "I think she hates you."

Scorpius was taken aback. "She doesn't even know me," he reasoned.

Al shrugged.

Scorpius continued to stare at Rose; her face had softened somewhat as her eyes roved over Scorpius' features, and Scorpius suddenly felt the adrenaline of a challenge rush through his veins.

"She'll change her mind about me," Scorpius announced confidently, propping his head up on his hand once more.

Al cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "You think so?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. She'll learn to love me."

And with that he sent a smile and a wink at Rose. Her face immediately hardened, a blush forming across her visage as she turned away to face the front of the hall. Scorpius, however, kept his eyes on her as she waited for her name to be called, as she sat on the stool with the Sorting Hat on her head, and as she walked over to the Gryffindor table. When she sat down, her brown eyes sought out Scorpius once more and her gaze locked with his, sending another jolt to Scorpius' stomach.

He smiled. Maybe going to school at Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all.

--

**End Author's Note:** I wanted to write a Rose/Scorpius/Albus fic ever since I finished Deathly Hallows last summer. This fic is therefore nearly a year in the making. The plot and characterizations have changed repeatedly as I tried to write this and finally...FINALLY...I think I have it down. At the moment, this is my favorite fic, but it's also the hardest for me to write. Chapter One has been written no less than four times, and the final outcome is ten thousand words long. I think you guys will really like it though: it has humor; it has romance; it has action...it has Albus Severus Potter. C'mon. You know you want to read it.


	2. Intrusion

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**Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights**_  
By Siriusly Amused_

--

_Chapter One**  
Intrusion**_

_Three Years Later…_

"To Draco and Astoria. They're wealthy and successful. Their son is first in his class, beating both Potter and Weasley. And they're expecting their second child, who I'm sure will be just as lucrative as the first."

There was a murmur of agreement and well wishes as champagne glasses chinked together in the toast. Draco turned to his wife, resting his hand on top of hers as they shared a smile. After years of fearing for the worst, their lives were starting to look bright.

"So tell me, Draco," Blaise Zambini said, setting his glass down on the dinner table. "What made you and Astoria decide to have another child? I was sure the Malfoys always stopped at one."

"Draco botched up the charm one night," Astoria replied mischievously, grinning broadly at the chorus of laughter around the table.

"Astoria," Draco said warningly.

"Oh come on, Draco," Pansy piped in. "We all know you're rubbish with that charm! It's common knowledge that you gave me my first pregnancy scare in fifth year!"

There was another round of laughter as Draco winced in embarrassment and Astoria narrowed her eyes at Pansy. Despite the embarrassing stories and the snide remarks common at Slytherin gatherings, Draco was happy to be with his friends, sharing his food, alcohol and happy announcements with them. It made him feel as though everything truly was right in the world.

"So, Draco. Is your son still getting beat up at Hogwarts?"

A hush suddenly fell over the room as everyone turned to stare at Gregory Goyle. While he may have been quiet at Hogwarts, the loss of Crabbe had the effect of making Goyle bitter to the point where he often brought up subjects that were uncomfortable for even other Slytherins.

Draco straightened in his chair and held Goyle's gaze firmly. "Yes, Goyle, Scorpius still finds himself cornered and outnumbered by older students sometimes. He's getting better at fighting them off though. Once he finishes puberty, they should leave him alone."

"It's horrible how Slytherin's image has fallen," Pansy remarked, pushing a piece of broccoli around on her plate.

"But the other Slytherins don't find themselves getting beaten for no reason," Goyle said. "No other Slytherin has a former Death Eater for a father."

"Goyle, that's uncalled for," Pansy said softly.

"No, Pansy, it's okay," Draco said. He took a sip of wine, eying Goyle over the rim of his glass as he did so.

"Scorpius does have to put up with a lot of unfair treatment," Astoria acknowledged. "But he's fighting back. He's going to change the image of the Malfoy name and Slytherin."

"You're purposely sending your son to get beaten for your own objectives," Goyle accused.

Pansy stared at her plate silently and Blaise cocked an amused eyebrow. Astoria's jaw was tense, and Draco placed his hand over hers once more in an attempt to calm her. He then turned back to Goyle.

"Malfoys don't run anymore, Goyle," he said.

Everyone remained silent for several moments, the only sound coming from the rustle of the curtains in the early Spring breeze.

"I have a baby gift!" Pansy announced suddenly, rising from the dining table and going to a narrow side table where her purse was at. After a brief moment of rummaging, she returned and handed a small box to Astoria. Astoria ripped open the wrapping paper and held up a small outfit.

"Onesies?" she asked.

"From Milan," Pansy nodded superiorly.

And like that the atmosphere in the room lightened once again with the women talking babies and fashion and the men talking sports and politics. Draco's nerves were just calming down when an owl swooped in through the window and landed on the table, holding its leg out towards him.

"Little late for owls, isn't it?" Blaise remarked, but Draco didn't answer. He recognized the jagged scrawl on the parchment, and it sent chills down his spine.

"It's addressed to you, darling," Astoria said, placing a hand on Draco's upper arm.

Draco offered his wife a slight smile as he took the parchment from the owl. "Right," he said, rising from the table. "Excuse me."

"I thought Malfoys didn't run anymore, Draco," Goyle called out as Draco left the room. Draco ignored him; he walked into his study, waved his wand to light the lamps, then, with shaking hands, opened the letter.

_I got a secret.__  
You better keep it.  
Don't give me away._

Draco felt his blood run cold as memories from a dark night in his seventh year surfaced in his mind. He and a fellow schoolmate, in a rare act of camaraderie, had joked about hurting them; he, of course, hadn't been serious, though he had suspected that the other student was.

Draco stared down at the handwriting, hoping to God that it was all just some sick joke.

"Draco?"

Draco immediately folded the letter and stuffed it in his dinner jacket before turning towards his wife.

"What was the letter about, love?" she asked, coming into the room and wrapping her arms around him.

Draco cupped her face with his hands and smiled down upon her. "Nothing. Just work stuff."

"Anything I should be concerned about?"

"You know I can't talk about my work."

Astoria quirked an eyebrow, and Draco placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I've got a present for you too, Astoria," he said, willing his voice to keep from shaking. He could already feel the beads of sweat breaking out on his palms over his hasty decision.

"Oh?"

"Yes. You know how you've always wanted to raise Scorpius in a smaller home?"

Astoria nodded. "A country home with a big garden and kitchen."

"Well, what if I told you that I'm going to build you that home? On a plot of land close to the Potters and Weasleys so that Scorpius will be close to his friends."

Astoria's face brightened. "You'd move into a smaller home next to your childhood enemies just for us?" she asked.

"I'd do anything for my family," Draco stated, drawing his wife closer and feeling her burgeoning belly between them.

Astoria squealed happily, bringing her hands to Draco's cheeks and pulling him down for a kiss.

"I'm going to tell the others," she said happily once they had pulled apart. Draco smiled and watched her go, a sick feeling in the base of his stomach forming over the real reason why he suddenly decided to move closer to the Potters and Weasleys.

--

The shout startled him awake. Scorpius immediately sat up in bed, his heartbeat quickening as he searched for his wand on the bedside table. Once he felt the cool wood in his hand, he performed the Lumos charm, blinking slightly as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"Al?" he called out, throwing his legs over the side of his bed; he could hear thrashing in the other bed across the room.

"Al?" he called out again as he got up and padded across the room. The light from his wand fell upon the bed where the Potter boy tossed and turned in his sleep, causing the opened text books on his bed to come dangerously close to falling off. Scorpius bent over and began to shake his friend awake.

"Al!" he said loudly, and Al startled awake, his right hand unconsciously coming out to whack Scorpius' face, right next to the large bruise that was still healing by Scorpius' eye.

"Ouch! Bloody…" Scorpius swore, hunching over in pain and dropping his wand as his hand came up to cover the tender area.

"Oh. Shit. I'm so sorry, Score," Al apologized through his panting. His black hair was plastered to his forehead, and the front of his T-shirt was drenched with sweat.

"It's ok; you didn't give me the bruise in the first place" Scorpius said, straightening himself and sending his friend a worried stare. "You want to talk about it?"

Al sighed and leaned back against his headboard, making room as Scorpius sat down at the foot of his bed.

"There's nothing to talk about, Score," he said. "The images in my dreams never make sense."

"Well, tell me what the images are, and maybe we can make sense of them."

Al raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Galleons, a bandaged woman and a statue."

Scorpius pondered the images silently for a moment.

"Obviously, somewhere a bandaged woman is buying a statue," he explained at last.

"It was a freaky statue of a man screaming," Al elaborated. "Life sized, even."

"Okay, so then a bandaged woman with questionable taste in art is buying a statue."

Al shook his head. "Then why does it scare me so much?"

"Because you're a bloody coward."

"Piss off," Al said, throwing a quill at Scorpius.

Scorpius caught the quill with a grin before glancing down at the opened text books on Al's bed. Some of them were Muggle judging by the pictures of funny-looking machines.

"What are these for?" he asked, pulling the closest Muggle book towards him.

Al leaned forward and pointed to a picture. "That's a metal detector," he explained. "It's a machine that can detect metallic properties. Theoretically, this technology can be mixed with charms that'll allow one to be able to detect certain properties of magic. For example, if someone came in here and AK'd your arse, I could whip out a trusty contraption that'll allow me to trace the leftover magic to the wand. If we know which wand did what crime, we have a probable suspect."

Scorpius gazed at his friend seriously. "You know, if you spent more time on your coursework and less on these rather brilliant but exceedingly complicated magical Muggle inventions, _you'd_ be first in our class instead of me."

Al pouted. "Yes, but then Rose would hate me instead of you."

"Is that why she hates me? Because I'm first in our class?"

"Well, initially she hated you because she was afraid you'd steal me away from her. But now she just hates you because, yeah, the school says you're smarter than her. But, if you ask me, I think she's running out of reasons to hate you."

Scorpius immediately felt his face flush, and he sat up a little straighter. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Al shrugged. "I just think that she wants to hate you, but she's finding it harder to hate you."

"So you think she might like me?"

"I dunno. Why? Do you like her?"

Affronted, Scorpius felt his shoulders tense as he crossed his arms and avoided eye contact with his friend. "Define like," he said at last, blushing furiously.

A slow smile crossed over Al's face. "I take that as a yes."

Scowling, Scorpius sighed and leaned his head back on the bed post. "I hate that I like her," he admitted at last.

"I'm sure the feeling's mutual," Al mentioned as he closed his text books and set them on his nightstand. "Now, piss off: we have a few more hours before class starts, and I'd…"

But before Al could finish, green flames erupted in the small fireplace they had in their dorm, and a letter fluttered out of the flames, landing softly on the floor.

"My parents or yours?" Scorpius asked, getting up from the bed and walking over to the letter.

"Mine probably," Al wearily replied. "Mine are the ones insane enough to send late night letters as opposed to just waiting until the bloody morning owl post."

"Well, you're wrong," Scorpius said, picking up the letter and examining the handwriting. "It's from my parents."

"What in Merlin's name would your parents want to tell you that couldn't wait until morning?" Al complained.

Scorpius shrugged as he opened the letter. His eyes scanned the lines, his face contorting in shock and confusion as he did so.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"My family's moving!" Scorpius replied loudly.

"Oh? Where to?"

--

The knock at the door was short and rapt, resonating throughout the house purposefully and jarring Ron and Hermione out of their quiet reverie over the breakfast table. Ron lowered the sports section of the Daily Prophet and raised a quizzical eyebrow at his wife.

"What the ruddy…?" he muttered, glancing at the front door as if it were an alien object.

"Someone's at the door, Ron," Hermione answered nonchalantly from behind her own section of the paper.

"I know that!" Ron replied indignantly, his ears tinged pink as he sent a disgruntled stare at Hermione—or rather, the paper that was currently obscuring Hermione's face. "It's just … who would be at our door? Our friends use the Floo, and we live miles from any Muggle."

Hermione refrained from answering and the knock sounded once again. Ron startled in annoyance and glared at the door as if it were responsible for all that was wrong in the world.

"Are you going to answer that?" Hermione asked, appearing from behind her paper momentarily as she lazily lowered it to turn the page.

Ron sighed and stood up from the table, tightening the sash around his bathrobe before shuffling through the foyer and opening the front door quickly. Keeping his right hand on the knob, he raised his left hand to rest on the doorframe, prohibiting whoever was outside from coming in. "May I help you?" he asked curtly to the man standing on his stoop, his back towards Ron as he gazed out at the Weasley front lawn.

The man slowly turned, his gray eyes piercing as he surveyed Ron with distaste. "Weasley," he drawled, and Ron's stomach clenched at the voice.

"Malfoy," Ron replied in an equally icy tone.

The two stood in a heavy silence for several moments, glaring at one another as if they were daring each other to talk.

"You have a lovely home," Malfoy said at last, glancing lazily around at the Weasley yard and looking highly unimpressed by it.

"Malfoy. Have you gone certifiably insane? Do you need help? Is that why you're here? Do you want me to take you to St. Mungo's?" Ron asked seriously, watching with some satisfaction as Draco Malfoy's jaw tightened in annoyance.

"Actually, Weasley, I'm merely here to inform you that…" Draco paused and took a calming breath, closing his eyes as if summoning the strength from deep inside of him to spit out the words, "…that we're to be neighbors," he finished, opening his eyes once more, his steely gaze resting on Ron's face.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Neighbors, Weasley! It's what we call people who live in close proximity to one another."

"I know what neighbors are, you wanker! I just…" Ron broke off and shook his head slightly as though he thought he could shake the idea of him and Malfoy being neighbors right out of his mind. "You can't," he ordered at last, glaring at the blonde man in front of him.

Malfoy smirked, quirking a eyebrow as he did so. "Actually, Weasley, I can. You see, when you and your bushy-haired wife bought the land to build a home on, you just so happened to pick the land right next to Malfoy property. And I'm going to build a home right there," he elaborated, pointing to his right.

Ron's gaze followed Malfoy's pointed finger to the open area between his house and the forest. There really wasn't that much space, which meant that Malfoy would be living within very close proximity indeed. Ron redirected his gaze to the man in front of him.

"Why?" he asked, almost in a whine as his shoulders sagged. "Why not continue living in one of your manors? And don't tell me it's just to annoy me!"

"Believe it or not, Weasley, my life does not center around you."

"Then…why?" Ron was whining again, and Draco sighed as if he were dealing with a petulant child.

"My wife has always regretted bringing Scorpius up on such a large estate; so, with our second child on the way, we're building a smaller home to raise the children."

"…Children?"

"Yes."

"Plural?"

"Yes, Weasley."

"You're _expecting_!?"

"You're still daft as ever, I see."

"WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPAWN AGAIN, DRACO?" Ron threw the door wide open in his anger, stepping out of the house to jam a finger at Malfoy's chest emphatically. "ONE DRACO JR. IN THIS WORLD IS ENOUGH, YOU KNOW!"

"Ron, what on Earth are you…" Hermione's voice reached Ron's brain through the buzzing in his ears, but her words died in her throat as she no doubt recognized Draco Malfoy.

"HERMIONE, WHERE'S MY WAND? I'M GOING TO HEX MALFOY TO IMPOTENCY!" Ron announced madly.

"Granger, would you kindly restrain this idiot before he spits on my good cloak?"

"It's Weasley now, Malfoy," Hermione corrected while reaching out to pull a sputtering Ron inside the house. "Now what's going on?" she asked, gazing up at Ron.

"Malfoy. Neighbor. Spawning," Ron sputtered, gesturing wildly at Malfoy. Hermione immediately sent a questioning look at the blonde man standing on her front stoop, asking for a translation. Malfoy sighed, brushing flakes of imaginary dust off of his cloak.

"I think what your daft husband is trying to say is that I have just informed him that my wife is currently pregnant and that we're going to be raising our children in a nice home right next to yours. We begin building tomorrow. Good day, Granger-Weasley."

Malfoy paused before nodding slightly in Ron's direction. "Weasley," he added before he turned on the spot and Disapparated, leaving Ron and Hermione to stare blankly out at their yard.

--

Rose stopped just outside of the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor, shrugging her school bag off of her shoulders and bringing it in front of her so that she could rummage through the its pockets. She pulled out a small handheld mirror and tube of lip gloss that her older cousin, Dominique, had loaned her. Quickly swiping a coat of gloss over her lips and checking her curls to make sure that they were behaving, Rose placed the mirror and lip gloss back into her bag, hoisted it onto her shoulders, took a deep, calming breath and rounded the corner.

He was there, in all of his short-cropped black hair, lopsided grin and bulging biceps glory: Brian McLaggen. So what if he was supposed to be a fourth year instead of a third year? So what if he never said words with more than three syllables in them? So what if her parents groaned every time she mentioned his name? He was absolutely gorgeous, and Rose was going to ask him to Hogsmeade even if the very idea of doing so frightened her; Brian McLaggen, though gorgeous, was intimidating.

Her smile grew wider and wider as she drew nearer to the group of students that Brian was standing amongst. He was like a Quidditch god, the late morning sunshine illuminating his angular jaw and broad shoulders. Then he shifted, blocking the sunshine, which allowed Rose to see that his arm was tightly wrapped around a giggling Kai Corner's waist. Rose stopped walking, her smile slipping from her face as she watched Kai stand on her tip toes to place a soft kiss on Brian's cheek.

"Aww, too bad, Rose. Looks like you're stuck with me."

Rose turned on the spot, coming face to face with a grinning Scorpius Malfoy. Al, who looked like he was still asleep with his half-closed eyes and mused hair, leaned against the wall, closing his eyes completely and ignoring whatever verbal spar his friend and his cousin were about to get into.

"I hate you," Rose spat. She then winced and blushed slightly at the lame retort. After years of trading insults with Scorpius Malfoy, she could do better than a simple 'I hate you', but he had caught her at a bad time; her young heart was breaking.

Scorpius' grin widened slightly. "You know, they say that you really love those you say you hate."

"I hate you so much that I would love to see you dirt poor and stark naked on the side of the road with no friends to help you."

"You want to see me naked?" Scorpius asked, amused. Even Al opened an eye and shot Rose a cheeky grin.

"I hate the way you think," Rose spat.

"I love the way you talk," Scorpius countered.

"And I hate being in the middle of this," Al announced, pushing himself off of the wall and breaking forth between Rose and Scorpius. "Come on, class is starting," he added.

Rose glared at Scorpius for a moment longer before turning and following her cousin into the classroom. She tried not to notice that Scorpius held the door open for her. Stalking angrily to her desk, Rose sat down and took out her notes, gritting her teeth when she felt Scorpius slide into the desk behind her and place his feet on the legs of her chair.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was the one class that she was better at than Scorpius. Nevertheless, he was second in the class, just behind her in both rank and physical location, his feet propped on the legs of her chair, and he would always jiggle his legs throughout class, causing her chair to continually vibrate, a constant reminder that he was just behind her.

As if on cue, the jiggling chair vibrations started the moment that Professor Culshannon began her lecture. Rose tried to ignore it in order to focus, but the longer the minutes ticked on, the more annoyed she became. Finally, unable to ignore it any longer, she tossed her curls over her shoulder, knowing that they would fall on Scorpius' desk and annoy him. She smiled smugly when she felt him brush her hair off of his desk. She was just about to perform another head toss when Al, who sat next to her, surreptitiously handed her a note.

Rose cocked a questioning eyebrow at her cousin, who nodded urgently at the note. She unfolded it quickly and scanned the lines. Al was asking her to sneak out of the castle with him later that evening for an impromptu shopping trip.

"This couldn't wait until after class?" she asked her cousin in a harsh whisper across the aisle.

Al shrugged and raised his eyebrows questioningly, his eyes wide and hopeful and pleading all at once. Rose nodded her assent, and Al smiled brightly, returning to his haphazard notes.

Rose picked up her quill with the intent of returning to her own notes, but she paused, furrowing her brow in confusion; her chair had stopped vibrating. While this should have been a cause for celebration, a strange, hollow feeling settled in her chest instead; she felt alone without the reassuring reminder of his presence, and while she knew that he was still sitting in the desk just behind her, he felt eons away.

'_What is wrong with you, Rose? Pull yourself together! This is Scorpius Malfoy we're talking about here!'_ she thought to herself.

She shook herself slightly and pressed her quill to her parchment, ready to get back to note taking, when she suddenly felt Scorpius gently push her hair off of her shoulder as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear: "Have you heard the news yet?"

She stopped breathing momentarily as she felt his breath on her neck; his scent, crisp and clean like her favorite brand of soap, washing over her.

"Piss off, Malfoy; I'm trying to learn here," she said at last, swatting him away like a pesky fly. Scorpius caught her hand, his fingers circling her wrist lightly.

"So you haven't heard the news?"

"What news?" she asked, turning in her seat to send him a questioning glare.

Realizing that he was still holding onto her wrist, his fingers lightly passing over her pulse, Scorpius blushed and relinquished his hold on her, his blue eyes dropping down to his desk self consciously.

"My parents are building a house right next to yours," he said at last, very softly, the corners of his mouth tugging slightly upward as he continued to stare at his desk. He slowly raised his eyes so that he could make eye contact with her. "We're going to be neighbors."

Rose felt a sinking sensation in her stomach, quickly followed by a jolt down her spine; the idea of living within close proximity to Scorpius Malfoy both excited and terrified her, and she hated him for it.

"That is absolutely the worst news I've heard all year," she said stonily. And with that, she turned back in her seat, noting with a pleased satisfaction that her hair had spilled over Scorpius' desk once more.

--

"It's a catastrophe, Harry! The world as we know it is fucking ending!"

"I feel for you, mate. I really do, but Malfoy moving in next door to you is hardly the end of the world."

Harry quirked an amused eyebrow as he watched his best friend groan pathetically across their office.

"That's easy for you to say," Ron said. "You don't have Malfoy's spawn living within close proximity to your children."

"Actually, Ron, Malfoy's spawn shares a room with one of my children," Harry countered. He sighed as he continued to sign and initial official documents. He longed for a new case, something to get him out of the office and away from the dull monotony of paperwork. And Ron's constant complaining about Malfoy.

"Well, it's different for you," Ron said hastily, waving a dismissive hand.

Harry looked up from his paperwork to glance curiously at his best friend. "And how is it different?"

"Harry," Ron began, leaning forward on his elbows and gazing quite seriously at Harry, "Rose is a girl."

"I was aware of that, funnily enough," Harry said. "I think I was tipped off on the day that she was born and you exclaimed 'It's a girl!' very loudly in my ear."

Ron, however, was undeterred. "Harry, I have a thirteen-year-old daughter, and Malfoy has a thirteen-year-old son…"

Harry set his quill down exasperatedly; Ron was not going to give this up. He stared grumpily at his red-haired friend. "One," he said, holding up a finger, "Al speaks very highly of Scorpius, so he's probably not all that bad. Two, your daughter, unfortunately for you, has a crush on that McLaggen kid. And three…would it really be that bad if Rose and Scorpius ended up together?"

Ron quirked an eyebrow. "What if Scorpius decided that he wanted to end up with Lily instead?"

Harry quickly picked up his quill and went back to signing things. "That won't happen; Lily isn't going to date until she's forty two. I'm sure the Malfoy boy won't wait that long."

Ron rolled his eyes, and Harry ignored him as he continued to sign and initial things to the point where his own handwriting blurred into incomprehensible squiggles and loops. He was just about to give it up and ask Ron if he wanted to go to lunch when the door to their office opened and Dean Thomas walked in, a manila envelope in his hands.

"Well if it isn't our favorite Unspeakable, coming up to give us something to do," Ron jested.

Dean quirked an amused eyebrow at the red head.

"You guys may not want to take this one," he said, coming up to Ron's desk and sitting on the side of it. Harry got up from his own desk and crossed the office to join the two. "It's a bit close to home," Dean continued.

Harry and Ron exchanged worried glances. "Then we'd probably definitely want the case," Harry said.

Dean nodded. "I thought you guys would say that," he said as he opened the manila envelope. "It involves Zacharias Smith."

"Smith!?" Ron asked, his eyebrows shooting into his hair. "That's not close to home!"

"What happened?" Harry asked, ignoring Ron's outburst.

Dean pulled some photographs from the envelope and placed them on Ron's desk. "These were taken when he was found in his home in London yesterday," he explained.

Harry glanced down at the photographs to see Smith lying motionless on the floor of his home.

"Are these magical or Muggle photos?" he asked.

"Magical. If you look closely, you'll see that his eyes are moving."

Harry and Ron both leaned closer to the desk; Smith's eyes, which were wide open, were moving frantically as though searching for an escape.

"What happened?" Ron asked softly.

"We're not entirely sure," Dean admitted. "He appears to be petrified. Completely frozen. However, his eyes are responsive, which suggests that he's conscious. So it's like he's trapped within his own body."

"Are there any suspects?"

Dean's lipped thinned in concentration. "I think we all know that not many people like Smith. He's always been a bit of a prat."

"_A bit_," Ron replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"He hasn't married," Dean continued, ignoring Ron. "And he's spent the past couple of years going around Europe, partying and gambling. So he could have lots of enemies."

"Anyone we know in particular?" Harry asked.

"No."

"Well that's all you needed to say, Dean," Ron said sardonically. "No, guys, there're no suspects. Could be anyone."

Dean glared at Ron. "Whoever it was did leave something behind," he informed. He reached back into the manila envelope and pulled out what appeared to be a galleon.

"Money?" Ron and Harry asked simultaneously.

"It's not really a galleon. Remember those nifty coins Hermione made us for the DA?"

"That's Smith's DA coin?" Harry asked.

"Not his exact coin, no. Instead of numbers on the side, it says 'Obnoxious Git'."

Ron hastily turned his laugh into a cough. Dean ignored him again and continued.

"But whoever left it knew about the DA, knew how we communicated in it, and probably knew that Smith was in it."

"So whoever did this probably went to Hogwarts when we did. Maybe was even in the DA?"

Dean shrugged. "You'd think that, but almost everyone knows the story of the DA by now, and I'm sure anyone could find out who was all in it as well. We had all written down our names at one point, remember?"

Harry and Ron nodded.

"So," Dean said, his eyes shooting between the two. "It's a difficult case."

"We'll take it," Harry said at once, thinking that a trip out of the office was just what he needed. "We'll go to the crime scene and try to see if we can find anything."

Dean nodded. "You can try. Our lot already went over it pretty thoroughly. This case might go unsolved unless the culprit strikes again."

"Yeah, well," Harry said as he collected the photos and galleon and dropped them back into the envelope. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

--

"This. Is. Ridiculous," Rose said for the tenth time since they had entered the Muggle department store. She and Scorpius were following Al as he weaved his way through aisles of electronics, the florescent lights illuminating the shadows under his eyes, making him appear slightly insane.

Al had said shopping, but he didn't specify that it would involve a Muggle department store. Rose should have known that something was up when he told her not to wear her Gryffindor robes, but to just come in her regular school uniform. Without the Gryffindor robes, Rose looked like a typical Muggle student.

"You know, Al, I hate to say it, but I agree with her," Scorpius said. He was walking briskly alongside Rose, his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his own school uniform; the only sign of his being Slytherin was the green and silver tie that hung loosely around his neck "It's one thing to sneak off of Hogwarts grounds. It's quite another to break into a house in Hogsmeade, use the Floo to go to London, and then enter a Muggle department store for a bit of shopping."

"THANK YOU!" Rose said emphatically, throwing her hands up in the air. She then paused, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Hang on. Al, if Scorpius was coming along, then why the hell did you drag me along as well?"

"I wasn't going to come at first," Scorpius answered. "I thought the idea was somewhat stupid, so I was going to stay and work on our potions essay. But then Al said you were coming, so I decided to tag along and be a thorn in your side."

Rose's jaw tensed in annoyance. "Well you're doing a wonderful job," she said through clenched teeth.

Scorpius flashed a grin at her; he looked as though he was genuinely enjoying himself, despite the fact that if they got caught, they'd all be expelled.

"I FOUND IT!" Al exclaimed suddenly in front of them, rushing down the aisle and coming to a stop in front of a shelf filled with long boxes.

"Metal detectors?" Rose asked skeptically, squinting at the boxes.

"Yep," Al nodded. He then sat down on the floor, leaned back on his hands and stared at the boxes happily. Rose and Scorpius stood silently behind him for a few minutes, their eyes lazily looking around their surroundings, as if they half expected to see their parents walking down one of the aisles.

"Al?" Rose asked at last. "Just pick one and go to check out."

"Can't," Al replied simply.

"What do you mean you can't?"

Al pointed to the pink price sticker on the boxes. "Don't you see how expensive they are? I can't afford one. I just want to look at them for awhile, is all."

"You…what?" Rose asked, her face flushing furiously with anger. Next to her, Scorpius chuckled derisively and glanced up at the ceiling as though he couldn't believe what was happening.

"Yeah, I just have to stare at them and think," Al explained.

Rose opened her mouth, though all her words died in her throat. She _could not_ believe that Al had dragged them out of school just to look at metal detectors. His father had dragged her parents out of school to save the world. But they…they left to stare at ruddy metal detectors.

"You and Score can head back to school if you want," Al mentioned over his shoulder. Rose caught a sly grin pull across Al's face as he shot a look at Scorpius.

Rose immediately raised her arm to whack her cousin upside his head, but Scorpius reached out and prohibited her from doing so.

"Let go of me, Malfoy, I'm trying to kill my cousin!" Rose hissed as she tried to twist out of his grip and stalk forward at the same time. Scorpius retaliated by wrapping an arm around her waist and half carrying her away.

"We'll see you up at school, Al," he called as he led her down the aisle of electronics.

"You are so dead, Al," Rose echoed, struggling against Scorpius' grip. "So dead! Do you hear me? _I know where you live!_"

Rose continued to struggle against Scorpius' grip until Al was out of her sight. Once she had abated with her flailing, Scorpius relinquished his hold on her, allowing her to walk by his side, muttering under her breath furiously.

Dusk had fallen when they exited the department store. The western horizon was a leaden gray with purple clouds breaking up the monotony. Rose and Scorpius walked close together as they crossed the lighted parking lot and came to a sidewalk. The Leaky Cauldron was two blocks away, and they reached it in record time, using the Floo to return to Hogsmeade, where they proceeded to the Shrieking Shack and entered the school through the secret passageway.

"I still can't believe Al did that to us," Rose hissed as they walked through the school's corridors. "We could have gotten in serious trouble! And over what? Metal detectors!"

Scorpius' lips pulled into a smile.

"Come off it, everything turned out fine," he mentioned. "Besides, we love Al and his insanity."

Rose rolled her eyes. Scorpius was right, however. As much as Al annoyed her sometimes, he was also her best friend. And she knew that someday he would do something so brilliant that it would make people forget that he was Harry Potter's son. His ambition to break out of his father's shadow was the very reason the Sorting Hat had put him in Slytherin after all.

"Can I walk you back to Gryffindor Tower?" Scorpius asked, shooting her a hopeful, sideways glance.

She turned her head to look at him and sighed, her shoulder slumping as she faced forward again. "If you must," she said.

Scorpius looked entirely too pleased with himself; his smile reached his eyes for several seconds, before disappearing completely. Voices echoed around a nearby corner, causing Scorpius to slow his gait.

"Rose, wait," he warned quietly, reaching out to take her arm, but it was too late. Rose rounded the corner and found herself amongst a group of burly sixth year boys. Their conversation died as they turned to survey Rose and Scorpius standing next to each other. Rose noted that Scorpius was surreptitiously easing his wand out of his pocket.

"Well what do we have here?" one of the boys asked, coming forward and leering at Rose hungrily. "Little Rose Weasley out after hours." He hovered over her and brought his hand around her back, pushing her closer to him until she was pressed up against his chest. She brought her hands up and tried to push herself away, but he was stronger. She turned her face away in disgust as he leaned down and whispered, "Feisty, aren't you? I like that."

"Let go of me," Rose hissed. She closed her eyes tightly and scrunched up her face as he attempted to kiss her; her neck was in pain as she tried to turn away; there was no way she was giving him her first kiss.

"She said let her go," Scorpius warned; he had his wand aimed at the sixth year who was harassing Rose.

The older boy raised his head and glared at Scorpius. "Piss off, Death Eater spawn," he spat vindictively. The other boys behind him chuckled at the insult, but Scorpius appeared unaffected. He looked at Rose and mouthed the word 'duck'. Rose did so, just as Scorpius shouted, "Levicorpus!" and sent the sixth year boy hanging by the ceiling from his ankle. Freed from the sixth year's grip, Rose rushed back to Scorpius, fumbling for her wand as she did so.

"You little bastard; let him go!" one of the other boys ordered.

"You didn't say please," Scorpius quipped, though he was slowly returning the suspended boy back to the ground.

"You think you're so brave, don't you, you little Slytherin prick?" the sixth year boy spat once he had regained his footing.

"He's got more balls than you," Rose noted, crossing her arms and staring the boy down. She was surprised that she had said it, especially since she was defending Malfoy.

"Why you little…" The sixth year pulled out his wand and aimed it at Rose before she even realized it. "Sectumsempra!" he shouted, and Rose saw two narrow beams of white emit from his wand and fly at her. Scorpius was in front of her before they reached her though; he had moved halfway through the incantation, placing himself between her and the spell, and raising his arms to shield his face. Rose wasn't sure what was happening until she saw the blood staining Scorpius' sleeves.

"Scorpius!" she exclaimed, reaching out for one of his bloodied arms. His free hand grabbed hers as he aimed his wand at the sixth years.

"Levicorpus!" he shouted once again, this time sending all of the boys to the ceiling. "Let's go, Rose," he said, shooting forward under the suspended boys and dragging her along. The moment he lowered his wand and began to run, the boys crashed to the floor. Rose heard them swear furiously, and then her stomach filled with dread as their footsteps echoed behind them; they were going to catch up to them. And Scorpius was being unhelpful in the sense that he was leading her back and forth in front of a blank wall.

'_What is he doing?'_ Rose thought to herself as they ran in front of the wall again. _'We need a place to hide! Like an empty classroom or something!'_

Rose was just about to voice her opinion when a door appeared in the previously empty wall, and Scorpius crashed through it, pulling her inside as well.

"Fuck!" the sixth year boy swore, just as the door closed behind them and, from what Rose could gather from the shouts sounding outside of it, disappeared.

She and Scorpius stood in the room, which was lit only by moonlight, their shoulders rising and falling with each breath as they listened to the sixth years swear outside of the door. Rose distinctly heard one say, "They have to come out of there sometime." Rose's face fell; she didn't like the idea of being cooped up in a room with Scorpius all night.

"Leave it to you to think of a classroom," Scorpius commented. He had let go of her hand and had taken several steps further into the room, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the assortment of desks. He turned toward her and shot her a grin. "You totally cancelled out my request for a love den equipped with heart shaped bed, chocolates and champagne."

Rose glared at him in disgust. "You can't be serious."

"I'm not," Scorpius said. He turned away from her and began walking over to the desk by the window. "Much," he added under his breath.

He sat on top of the desk, silhouetted against the moonlight, his blonde locks falling into his eyes as he examined his forearms. To Rose's complete shock, he began ripping his sleeves off at the hem at the shoulder. He then brought his wand to the gash on his left forearm and started humming softly. Rose came closer, her eyes fixated on his arms; she saw that the blood was slowing and the wounds knitting together.

"That's the best I can do for now," he said, putting his wand down and picking up one of his discarded sleeves. He began clumsily wrapping the cloth around his forearm as a sort of makeshift bandage.

"That spell," Rose started, coming closer to Scorpius and taking hold of the sleeve to tie it for him. "What was it?"

"Sectumsempra?" he asked. "It's a cutting spell. They must have been practicing it because if you don't know how to control it, it'll give you a gash that's likely to kill you." Scorpius paused and was silent as Rose wrapped his other sleeve around his other arm. "It…" he said softly, his eyes gazing down at the floor. "It kind of hits close to home for me. Someone nearly killed my dad with that spell when he was in Hogwarts. I think that's why they learned it; to hurt me with it."

"I'm sorry," Rose said as she finished wrapping his arm. Her fingers lightly trailed over his skin, coming to his hands that he turned palm up, allowing her to gingerly trace the lines in his hands with her fingertips. She felt an odd sense of comfort wash over her, as if there was no other place she'd rather be. "Thank you for saving me out there. It was brave of you to jump in front of the spell like that," she commented, gazing up at him.

Scorpius shook his head. "No it wasn't. I didn't have to think twice about it."

Rose felt her heart skip a beat and jump into her throat before settling back down and beating rapidly. Scorpius' fingers were closing around her own.

"Rose," he said, gazing intensely down at her. "I'm going to kiss you now."

He gave her a second to stop him, and when she didn't, he leaned down, slowly closing the gap between them, his lips brushing hers softly. Rose felt her eyelids slide closed as he languidly moved his lips against hers, his hands moving up her forearms, over her elbows and around to her back. He slid off of the desk, his body brushing hers and causing a pleasant shiver to coast down her spine. His hands moved to her waist and pulled her closer, until she was pressed against his chest.

She pulled back slightly, opened her eyes and felt her lips pull into a small grin. She leaned in again, stifling a giggle when they inexpertly bumped noses and clashed teeth. It was awkward, yet perfect, and Rose sighed as he kissed her hungrily, his arms wrapped tightly around her as though he half expected her to slip out of his grasp.

And a part of her wanted to. Somewhere in the very back of her mind, a livid voice cried out against the indignity of kissing Scorpius Malfoy; about how he wasn't Brian McLaggen; about how she didn't even _like_ him! But the sensations she was feeling drowned out whatever voice telling her to stop, and she kissed him back.

"What the bloody fucking hell is going on here!?"

Scorpius pulled away from Rose quickly, leaving her slightly disoriented. She turned and saw James, Fred and Brian McLaggen standing in the doorway, all three of them wearing identical looks of shock upon their faces. Rose vaguely wondered how they had gotten in when the sixth year boys couldn't.

"James," Scorpius said awkwardly, taking several steps away from the door as the three boys walked into the room, their eyes firmly planted on the young Slytherin. "How are you, mate?"

"I'd be a lot better if I didn't just see you try to slip my cousin the tongue," James responded, giving Scorpius a shove. Scorpius took a step back to regain his bearings, and he ran into Fred as he did so. Fred shoved him forward where he bumped into James. They continued pushing him back and forth as though he were a pin ball, and Rose opened her mouth to call them off, but closed it immediately. They were just trying to protect her, and she knew they wouldn't hurt Scorpius. The playful gleam in their eyes told her that they were actually quite pleased with the situation. Brian, however, looked livid.

"I'm sorry, James," Scorpius said through a smile. "The next time I kiss her, I'll make sure you're nowhere around."

"As if there'll even be a next time!" Brian spat suddenly. James and Fred stopped pushing Scorpius as everyone turned to look at Brian. His eyes were narrowed to slits. "She deserves better than you, you fucking, little Slytherin." Brian's eyes left Scorpius and latched onto Rose. "She deserves me."

Rose felt her heart beat fiercely and sweat break out on her palm. Was he asking her out? The idea made her giddy, and she felt a smile pull across her face.

"You," Scorpius scoffed, his face falling when he looked at Rose. He must have noticed how pleased she was with the situation. "If she's dumb enough to find your idiocy endearing, then you're right. She does deserve you."

Anger suddenly welled in Rose's chest, causing her face to flush. "Piss off, Malfoy!" she exclaimed suddenly, much to the amazement of everyone in the room. She came over to him and looked him in the eye. "How dare you pass judgment? You don't even know him!"

"I know him well enough," he retaliated. He took a step closer to her; she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. "And I know you, and you don't know what you're doing right now."

A sharp crack sounded throughout the room as she slapped him hard across the face. James and Fred stared at her, their mouths agape. A pink handprint was already showing up on Scorpius' cheek as he narrowed his eyes at her. He opened his mouth, as though he was about to call her something, but the words didn't come out.

He said nothing as he walked away from her.

--

Al stopped abruptly as soon as he entered the Potions classroom: Rose, who was usually partners with him and Scorpius, was at Brian McLaggen's table, laughing over some stupid joke that Brian and his friends were telling. Her hair was done up nicely, and she looked as though she had a little make up on; Al barely recognized her, and the realization that she had changed for someone as useless as Brian McLaggen made his stomach church.

Scorpius gave him a slight push. "Come on, mate," he said. "I told you that Rose and I had a row last night."

Al trudged forward through the rows of desks, ignoring Rose as he passed her. "I know, but I half expected everything to have blown over by now." Al's voice contorted into a groan as he saw Kai Corner sitting at their usual table; typically, she sat with Brian, but it was apparent that Rose had taken her place.

"Shut up; Kai's not so bad," Scorpius whispered.

Al glared at his best friend. "Not so bad?" Al snapped. "She worships Brian McLaggen, and I highly doubt she has a brain."

Scorpius shushed him as they reached their table. "Hullo, Kai," he greeted, gracing her with a small smile. Al merely glared at her.

Kai had obviously been crying: her eyes were puffy and red, and streaks of moisture reflected light on her cheeks. She raised her large, dark eyes to look at the two Slytherins she was being forced to work with and immediately lapsed back into tears, resting her arms on the table and crying into the crook of her elbow, her shoulders heaving.

"Er…" Scorpius stated, looking dubiously at Al. Al rolled his eyes; Scorpius had no experience with crying females. As an older brother of a very temperamental young girl, however, Al had loads of experience calming bouts of crying.

"Hey, Kai," he said softly, sitting down in the chair next to her. He tugged at the sleeve of her robe awkwardly in an attempt to get her attention. She raised her head slightly, eyeing him over her arms, her eyes still brimming with tears. "Listen, McLaggen's not worth it," Al told her. Kai sat up straighter, her eyes narrowed at Al angrily. Al felt his face flush under her stare and he immediately dropped his eyes to the floor. "I mean, any bloke who leaves a nice girl like you is an idiot." Al risked raising his eyes to meet hers once again; he had learned from Lily that compliments were a sure fire way of getting a girl to calm down, and, sure enough, Kai's face was no longer tense. Al quickly performed a charm that dried the tears on her cheeks. He then leaned in and said: "You can do better than him."

Kai stared at him for several long moments, her eyes examining his face as if she were trying to memorize it; it was making Al very uncomfortable.

"What's the matter with Scorpius?" Kai asked at last.

Al furrowed his brow at the unexpected question and turned in his seat to see Scorpius still standing, his blue eyes fixated on someone several tables in front of them. Al stood as well and followed his friend's gaze, anger creeping up his spine when he saw Brian McLaggen attempting to feel Rose up, his hand sinking lower than her waist no matter how many times she swatted it away.

"Ignore it," Al warned, though his own teeth were gritted and his fists clenched. Al tried to focus on starting their potion, but his eyes continually sought out Rose. Brian was obviously taking delight in her discomfort: a laugh escaped his lips as she twisted away from his grip and stared up at him pleadingly.

"I can make the potion," Kai suggested softly.

Al turned to her gratefully, giving her a nod before turning to Scorpius.

"I'll go," he told Scorpius, who looked on the verge of moving. "Rose'll never forgive you if you do it."

Scorpius didn't answer, but he also didn't move. Al took that as a sign of consent and slowly made his way up to Rose's table.

"Hullo, Rose," he greeted.

Rose turned quickly, her face flushed with relief to see him there as Brian's hand dropped from her waist.

"Al!" she exclaimed. "Hi! What brings you over here?"

Al turned away from her and glared at Brian. "Could I see you outside for a minute?" he asked, thankful that his voice wasn't cracking.

Brian blinked incredulously at him. "You want to see me outside for a minute?" he echoed, his lips pulling into an amused smile. His friends laughed at the situation; Brian was twice Al's size.

"I need to talk to you," Al clarified.

Brian laughed again as his friends thumped him on the back. "Sure, Harry Potter Jr." he said, breaking away from his group and heading towards the classroom door. At the front of the classroom, Professor McGregor looked up from his notes.

"Mr. McLaggen and Mr. Potter where do you think you're… Not you too Mr. Malfoy!"

Their professor's voice died away as they entered the hall. Brian grinned down at Al and Scorpius; he was obviously amused that they were trying to threaten him.

"She's my girlfriend," he said matter-of-factly. "I can touch her if I want."

"You can't when she's uncomfortable with it," Al warned icily.

Brian chuckled derisively, glancing up at the ceiling as he did so. "Look," he said, glancing back down at them and running a hand through his hair. "I don't even like her."

Al felt his wand hand twitch as something in his chest tightened.

"I'm only dating her because she's a Weasley; her parents are famous."

Al's vision was growing narrow: all he could see was McLaggen; he didn't even see Scorpius begin to shake beside him.

"She's underdeveloped and her hair's annoying." Brian grinned down at him, as though he was basking in Al's anger. "Truth be told," he added softly. "I'm only biding my time with her until your little sister is old enough to…"

But Al didn't hear Brian finish the sentence. He didn't hear anything until the screams from his classmates reached his subconscious, bringing him back to reality. He blinked, feeling warm drops of liquid run down his face: blood. There was blood everywhere. Brian was on the floor, and Al and Scorpius were still standing, their wands pointing to the place where Brian had once stood. They were covered with blood.

--

Harry Potter sat in his favorite armchair, staring into the fire as he turned the fake Galleon over and over in his hand. He and Ron had searched Zacharias Smith's home from top to bottom, neither finding a single clue that proved to be useful to their case. They had returned home, feeling as though they had failed.

"Coming to bed, Harry?" Ginny asked softly. She came up beside his chair and leaned over to wrap her arms around his neck, resting her head against his.

Harry brought a hand to one of her arms, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Soon," he promised. "I just need a little more time to think."

Ginny sighed and gently took the fake Galleon from his hand, turning it over in hers as she did so. "You and Ron have never left a case unsolved," she told him quietly. She placed the Galleon on the coffee table and kissed Harry's cheek. "You two will work this one out."

She smiled at him and turned, heading to the stairs. Harry watched her go. He wished that he could take comfort in her words, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe her. This wasn't a normal case. For the first time since the Blood Wars, people who had some sort of connection to Harry were being attacked. And despite his best efforts, Harry didn't know how to save them.

He was just about to put out the fire and join Ginny upstairs when a large, tawny owl swept in through the opened window and dropped an official looking envelope at Harry's feet. The envelope immediately rose into the air, and opened to reveal a stern face. Suddenly, the room was filled with a painfully familiar voice.

"Dear Mr. Potter."

"Oh no," Harry groaned.

"I, Mafalda Hopkirk…"

"I know who you are. We work together…you tried to expel me when I was fifteen!"

"…regret to inform you that your son, Albus Severus Potter, along with a fellow Slytherin, Scorpius Malfoy, have attacked a Gryffindor boy, Brian McLaggen, just outside of their potions classroom this afternoon."

"The little wanker probably deserved it."

"McLaggen will recover despite being severely wounded."

"What a shame."

"However, it is my unfortunate duty to inform you that your son, along with Scorpius Malfoy…"

"Don't you dare say it."

"Are henceforth expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

--

**End Author's Note:** Congratulations on reaching the end of this insanely long chapter; you get a lollipop. You also get to help me name Scorpius' baby sister. I've been trying to name her for months now, and I just can't find anything that fits. I don't want anything too common, but I also don't want anything as wtf as Scorpius. Let's also try to stay away from stars and constellations; all the good ones are taken. If you can't think of a name, that's fine; you still get the lollipop.


End file.
